The Perfect Ending to a Great Day

We were exhausted from the excitement of Spring Training. On vacation in Clearwater Beach, FL celebrating the start of another season of baseball, it had already been a great first day. The weather was amazing: 80F, not a cloud in the sky, a far cry from the miserable winter we’d been having at home.

We arrived early at Bright House Field, trying to beat the crowds expected for the Phillies home opener. A promotional RV had been setup by 2K Sports in the parking lot of the ballpark inviting gamers to demo the highly anticipated MLB2K11. I’m not ashamed to admit that at 34 years of age I’m still a huge gamer. I’ve owned every copy of 2K Sports’ classic baseball game since 2007, and a chance to play the upcoming 2011 installment before its release was a BIG DEAL! Shortly after completing my demo of the new video game, I provided my “expert” analysis and feedback to one of the event coordinators, who in return gave me a free MLB2K T-shirt! Shot – SCORE! Let’s just say I was living pretty large in all my geeky glory. Great day.

Heading back through the parking lot towards the main entrance, I passed Phillies Ace, Roy Halladay. Surrounded by team officials acting like bodyguards, the 7-time All-Star and 2-time Cy Young Award winner was heading to an exclusive appearance for the same 2K Sports event that I just came from. It was obvious to all onlookers that this chance encounter was not going to yield any photo ops or autograph signings. So I did what any determined fan would do – pulled out my driver’s license, shamelessly waived it in his face and yelled “Hey Roy! It’s my birthday! How bout a pic?” It worked. It was a really great day.

After being in the sun and consuming more than a few beers at the game, a late-afternoon nap suited us just fine. Unfortunately, we overslept and woke up starving with few dinner options. Clearwater Beach on a Sunday night isn’t exactly “happening”. I typically refuse to be the guy who walks into a restaurant as the staff is watching the clock and making their own plans for after-work cocktails. But we were on vacation and jonesing for some seafood, not some deep-fried pub food we could get in any local bar.

We found a restaurant online called The Lobster Pot Bistro, located less than one mile from our rental (731 Bayway Blvd: 727-446-8809). It was 9PM, so we called ahead to make sure they would still be open by the time we got there. I was almost afraid to ask, but at the same time ready to plead my case for whatever the kitchen was still willing to serve. The young lady who answered the phone was pleasantly spirited and encouraging. She said, “Of course! The kitchen is open and we have live music until 10PM”. I know a few places that would discourage new customers this late, even with an hour to spare before the scheduled closing time.

We arrived to find a dimly lit, virtually empty restaurant. Our server greeted us warmly with a smile and offered us some drinks while we looked over the menu. I was pleasantly surprised at how cheerful, enthusiastic and hospitable she was considering the place would’ve looked about the same with a “Closed” sign hanging on the door. Our server, Katie, seemed genuinely excited that we came in. She went on and on about how amazing the food was. She made several suggestions and offered us all the time we needed to look over our menus. We never felt rushed. She later shared with us that she had just moved to Florida from Kentucky to work at her boyfriend’s parent’s restaurant. She had a soft twang in her voice that made her seem even more genuine when she asked how we were enjoying everything. The food was really great but it was the service that was truly memorable. Maybe I have high standards but low expectations. Maybe I’m just used to the Northeast, where everyone has someplace to get to and is in such a hurry to get there. It truly was the perfect ending to a great day.